Back to Zero: What happens when I abandon my healthy diet and supplements?

I’m no diet angel especially in the face of a plate of medium-well steak or a molten lava cake with vanilla ice cream. But at one point in my life, I was–proudly–able to resist all these culinary temptations by following a strict diet and taking my supplements regularly. A lot of people said it was too troublesome, especially the part about cooking my own food. It really was! But for the last couple of weeks now, I’ve taken a total U-turn. I’ve indulged drastically and let go. No supplements. No healthy food. Aside from sheer laziness, I guess I also wanted to prove a point — does a healthy diet really make a difference?

As a short recap, my healthier diet started with me experimenting on the Blood Type Diet mid last year to try and clear my acne naturally. To my pleasant surprise, it didn’t just improve my skin drastically, it made me healthy as a horse, too. However, as mentioned above, I suddenly just dropped everything. I stopped taking my morning smoothies and juices, snacked heavily on sweets, ate whatever I fancied and started craving for McDonald’s and fast food meals again. The supplements prescribed to my by my nutritionist which composed mainly of Vit C, Omega 3, Liver Support and Probiotics were also left in my cupboard to weep and wait.

As much as there were many of you who were interested to know what a good diet plan had done for me and my skin, I hope there’ll be as many who’ll be keen to know what a no holds barred way of eating filled with sweets, meat and processed food did to me during the last two months. So here are the top 5 souvenirs from my recent unhealthy journey:

1. Pimples. I’m having breakouts again. Although definitely not as bad, I got a couple of pimples on my hairline, small ones on my forehead and a couple on my chin and jaw.

3. I have a flu? You gotta be kidding me! Ever since I went back to indulging, I’ve had about 2 rounds of flu. I haven’t been sick for a very, very long time. In fact, there was even a point a couple of months ago when I complained about not getting sick even when I wanted to. But now, my resistance finally broke down.

4. Fats and bloatedness. Remember when I said that going on the blood type diet surprisingly removed my belly and thigh fats without making me lose weight anywhere else? Well, now, I seem to have lost weight everywhere else except my belly and thigh which seem to have formed more bulges! I guess my hormones are going haywire again.

5. Toilet issues. For two weeks, I suffered from a change of schedule. I was constipated like a faucet with a rubber plug stuck on it, oh my golly. The good thing is lately, I’ve tried making healthy tweaks to my diet and my schedule is back to normal. Still not as glorious and liberating as when I was taking lots more veggies but what I have now is definitely better than the plugged faucet phase.

Slowly Recovering I think I’ve finally choked my curiosity to regrets and so I’ve started to slowly shift back to a healthier diet since late last week– More veggies and fresh juices and definitely less red meat and sweets. I haven’t started drinking smoothies again and I haven’t returned to taking any of my supplements yet but I’m already noticing a major difference especially in my toilet habits. I hope I can be in full healthy swing by end of next week. Currently, I’m still nursing myself from a bad flu which I think is probably part of the purging process. Sneeze!

Have you ever considered changing your eating habits for better health, and well, better skin?

This post is an even better argument for a healthy diet: by showing the ramifications of an unhealthy one. My diet is terrible, but I have been trying to eat better for both my skin and my health. I’m starting small: by drinking a lot of water and cutting back on sweets. I’m hoping to progress to an actual diet change.

http://www.ecobeautysecrets.com Vivi

That’s great. Don’t push yourself to do a 180 degrees shift right away or you’ll be demotivated too early due to how troublesome the whole process of changing one’s diet is. Take it slow. Every little change in the diet helps as long as it’s progressive and done when it’s not quite late (e.g. already suffering from major diseases, etc).

http://Organikjunkie.wordpress.com Liyan

*like*

http://jesslynology.blogspot.com/ Jesslyn

Nice post! I totally have the same feeling! I had been following a healthy diet for 3 weeks and my skin cleared up dramatically (but of course not perfect yet). However, since last week I began indulging in unhealthy snacks for a few days and a few pimples came back to surface like immediately! Diet REALLY is important!~

http://www.ecobeautysecrets.com Vivi

Thanks Oh, your comment gave me an idea about a new post! Thank you It’s the vulnerability we get after a detox. Sometimes, after a detox, our body is so primed to absorb almost everything we take so anything we eat right after can make a major difference.

Brownies

Been going through the same process as you did. Was eating unhealthy snacks for the past 2 weeks, but I stick to eating at home (balanced home cooked food). I also notice that my sinus was back and I just do not feel good about myself. It confirms my idea that our diet is just like engine oil. If the oil is low grade (junk food, food that has little or no nutrients) the engines will start giving the driver troubles. Clogs in the engine could happen anywhere.

With just 2 weeks of unhealthy snacks, I saw a bit of difference. I am also kicking the unhealthy treats to 2 times a week instead of daily. Bad habits are easy to start but difficult to kick.

http://www.ecobeautysecrets.com Vivi

Hey, spot on about the sinus problem! I couldn’t stop sneezing again when I was indulging in unhealthy food the last 2 months. And my eczema patches went back.

I think it’s okay to keep the unhealthy treats once in a while or you might go crazy especially if you’re still new at trying out a healthier diet, haha. I don’t believe in a cold turkey approach when it comes to changing one’s diet because it’s not only our taste buds that need to do some adjustments but our entire system, too. And I believe that’s the reason why some people fall sick after doing a sudden detox, their possibly went into a state of shock.

http://www.lovelycosme.blogspot.com Lynn

ROFL!!Your pic makes me rolling on the floor laughing,Vivi!XD->that anything goes,multiple times:D. I like your sense of humour much!!XD
Apart from diet and supplements,don’t you think that exercising matter the most too?Or sauna maybe,to get the toxin out of our body?I went travelled outtown for a week 2 weeks ago,eating whatever is available @_@.Soon after back home,I got flu for 1 week.Now I get acnes here and there..Basically when we live”unruled”,things start to break out..literally.
Anyway,I’m not sure that you’re a”tag and awards”blogger thingy,but I just want to let you know that I give you awards here:http://lovelycosme.blogspot.com/2012/05/some-awards-and-tag.html

It’s just for fun.You may do or not do it,I’ll still like your blog!:) It’s just..you deserve the award and…I have to give the award:D..hehehe

*Lynn

http://www.ecobeautysecrets.com Vivi

Hi Lynn, thanks for the award! Unfortunately I don’t do tags ’cause I don’t have anyone to tag, haha! Most of the blogs I follow don’t do tags. But I really appreciate the award.

Anyway, back to the diet — currently, I don’t have time to exercise but I’m trying to change that. I want to go back to swimming ’cause that’s the sport I’m most comfortable with since I used to swim a lot when I was young. I believe that aside from my poor diet, my lack of exercise has also been a big culprit in making me sick and very moody, haha.

http://www.prettybeautiful.net xin

LOL anything goes! i can totally relate to that

i have always had sinus problem (all my life), but since i started taking choya on a regular basis (because i am an alcoholic ) i find that my sinus has improved very significantly! used to sneeze everyday but now it’s just once in a week or 2 weeks. such a joy! xin recently blogged..Taking a Dip in Dior Croisette Edition – Swimming Pool (224)

http://www.ecobeautysecrets.com Vivi

Err, were you serious when you said you’re an alcoholic?

Oh, I used to take Choya, too. Choya brings back funny memories to me. Once, Hubby and I were having one of our little arguments on the phone. Because I wanted to calm myself (I have a bad temper sometimes), I took a bit of Choya. We talked for so long that I didn’t notice I was drinking too much until I got so drunk he told me I was starting to make no sense–talking about my favorite movies, laughing and admiring the color of the kitchen tiles and all sorts of nonsense. Then i fell asleep while on the phone.

http://agingbelle.com Amanda

You still have the luxury to go back to unhealthy diet? I don’t and dare not.

I’m back to taking some of my supplements and I definitely feel better. I think for most city dwellers who don’t have time to cook their own food regularly and suffer from lots of city air, water and psychological (stress) pollution, supplements are, in most cases, necessary.Vivi recently blogged..3 Beauty Lessons Dad Never Knew He Taught Me

Portia

What supplements (esp probiotics and liver support) did you use? Thanks!

http://www.ecobeautysecrets.com Vivi

Hi Portia, for probiotics I take NowFoods and Healthy Origins. They are very affordable compared to the others. For liver support, I take Solgar Herbal Liver Complex — it’s what my nutritionist recommended to me.

http://howtogetridofeczemanaturally.org Moira

So many people scorn taking supplements, so it was interesting to read the results of your little experiment – was also interested to read what supplements you take – especially as you mention you consult a nutritionist – Thank you!

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